Southern Maine school and town elections: Bond for York County schools looks like a winner

Part of the Kennebunk High School band rehearses in the band room at the school. Voters passed a $56.5 million bond Tuesday for a series of renovations that will give the band enough space to practice together, among other projects in three schools in RSU 21.

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Voters in Regional School Unit 21 approved a $56.5 million bond for a school renovation project on Tuesday.

The project, which affects students in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel, will address safety and handicap-accessibility issues at Kennebunk High School, Kennebunkport Consolidated School and Mildred L. Day School in Arundel. The plan was scaled back by about $40 million after voters overwhelmingly rejected a renovation bond in January 2014.

Also on Tuesday, residents in the RSU 21 towns voted to approve the proposed $40 million annual education budget.

In Kennebunkport, residents also voted against filing a petition to withdraw from RSU 21 because of concerns about cost-sharing and against authorizing the withdrawal committee to spend $40,000 on the process. In unofficial results, residents opposed the measure 928-524.

Arundel residents voted to approve the RSU 21 budget 961-499 and voted 874-589 in favor of the school construction project. Kennebunk residents approved the school budget 2,775 to 1,252 and the school construction bond 2,570 to 1,462. Kennebunkport residents voted to approve the budget 961-499 and the construction bond 874-589.

The bulk of the $56.5 million will go to renovations at Kennebunk High School, which school officials say is in danger of losing its accreditation if its facilities are not improved. At Mildred L. Day, two wings that are sinking are to be razed and replaced with a new addition on land that is more stable. In Kennebunkport, the project will allow the district to eliminate three portable classrooms and renovate the school’s multipurpose space.

Of the $56.5 million price tag for the project, $42.8 million will go to Kennebunk High School, $8.55 million to the Mildred L. Day School in Arundel and $5.14 million to fund renovations at Kennebunkport Consolidated School.

The annual property tax impact on a home valued at $300,000 will be $229.68 in Kennebunk, $219.69 in Arundel and $209.28 in Kennebunkport.

In a repeat of last year, the town has 10 days to revise its school budget and schedule a second referendum.

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Scarborough voters rejected a proposed $43.8 million school budget Tuesday by a vote of 1,719 to 1,408.

On a nonbinding companion question, 1,761 voters said the budget was too high, 619 said it was too low and 710 said it was just right.

The town now has 10 days to revise its school budget and schedule a second referendum. A similar situation occurred last year.

The proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 represents an increase of $1.8 million, or 4.3 percent, from the current budget. Details on the tax impact of the budget were unavailable.

The rejection by Scarborough voter went against the trend in Greater Portland on Tuesday, as voters in a number of surrounding communities easily passed school budgets.

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CORRECTION: This story was updated on June 16 to correct the amount of the increase and the percentage of the increase considered in Scarborough’s $43.8 million school budget validation vote on June 9.

Voters also elect Karen Farber and Edward Kitchel to the Town Council.

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Falmouth residents overwhelmingly approved a $33 million school budget Tuesday, by a vote of 890-224.

The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 is $1.2 million – 3.6 percent – more than the current annual budget. The impact on property taxes was unavailable Tuesday night.

Falmouth voters also elected two town councilors from a field of three candidates. Karen Farber and Edward Kitchel won the seats with votes of 834 and 768, respectively, while John Winslow received 373 votes.

Two candidates – Deirdre Conroy-Vella and Cindy Han – ran unopposed and were elected to two seats on the school board.

Turnout for the validation vote on the $46.1 million school budget is just 3 percent.

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South Portland voters approved a $46.1 million school budget Tuesday by a vote of 379-231. Only 610 voters – 3 percent of the city’s 18,943 registered voters – turned out for the school budget validation ballot, according to City Clerk Susan Mooney.

The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 represents an increase of $1.3 million, 2.9 percent, from the current budget. No details about the impact on property taxes were available.

The $33.78 million budget for School Administrative District 51 will increase taxes in both of the district's towns.

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Residents of Cumberland and North Yarmouth approved a $33.78 million budget for School Administrative District 51 Tuesday by a vote of 506-376.

The vote was 292-251 in Cumberland and 214-125 in North Yarmouth.

The budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is an increase of $1.17 million, 3.6 percent, from the current budget. It will increase property tax bills in Cumberland by 69 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value, $138 a year for a home assessed at $200,000.

In North Yarmouth, the school budget will increase property tax bills by 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, $198 a year for the owner of a home assessed at $200,000.

Meanwhile, in North Yarmouth’s municipal election, write-in candidate Jeanne Chadbourne edged out Keith Thompson for a seat on the Board of Selectmen by a vote of 155 to 145. Katherine Perrin ran unopposed for the SAD 51 board of directors.

Cumberland voters elected several town officials who ran with no opponents on the ballot. Ronald Copp Jr., Shirley Storey-King and George Turner were elected to the town council and Vickie Bell and Karen Campbell were elected to the SAD 51 board of directors.

The $34.9 million budget for the year that starts July 1 will increase property taxes.

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Gorham voters approved a $34.9 million school budget Tuesday by a vote of 359-163.

The spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 is up $780,000 – 2.3 percent – over the current budget. It will increase property taxes by $66 per $100,000 of valuation, $132 per year on a home assessed at $200,000.

Raymond voters also reject a proposal to withdraw from Regional School Unit 14.

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Windham and Raymond voters approved a $42.1 million budget for Regional School Unit 14 on Tuesday by a vote of 556-241.

The vote was 165-108 in Windham and 391-133 in Raymond.

The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 increases spending by $1 million, 2.4 percent, over the current budget. It will increase annual property tax bills in Windham by $40 per $100,000 valuation. Because the district has changed its cost-sharing formula, Raymond’s annual tax bills will decrease 1 cent per $100,000 in real estate value.

Raymond voters also re-elected Selectman Joe Bruno in a close race with Louise Lester; the vote was 273-243. And they rejected a proposal to withdraw from RSU 14, by a vote of 376-136.

In a non-binding poll, 363 say the budget is too low, 274 say it is too high and 231 say it is acceptable.

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Cape Elizabeth residents approved a $23.5 million school budget Tuesday by a vote of 635-236.

The budget represents an increase of $296,475, or 1.3 percent, over the current budget. The budget that starts July 1 is expected to have no impact on the town’s tax rate.

About 11 percent of the town’s registered voters cast ballots in the referendum.

The Town Council reduced the School Board’s initial budget recommendation by $110,539. The board made that reduction by eliminating funding for accounting software, website design and a human resources position shared with the town, among other things.

In a non-binding poll of voters, 363 said the budget is too low, 274 said it is too high and 231 said it is acceptable.

The $22 million spending plan for 2015-16 is 4 percent more than this year's budget.

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Yarmouth voters overwhelmingly approved a $22 million school budget Tuesday, by a vote of 324-147, with 5.5 percent of the town’s registered voters going to the polls.

The spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 represents an increase of $843,500, or 4 percent, over the current budget. No information about the tax impact was available.

Yarmouth voters also elected David Craig and James MacLeod to two seats on the Town Council, and Laura Coroi, Jeanne Rapone and Tim Wheaton to three seats on the School Committee. The races were uncontested.

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